1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a controller for controlling a recording operation, and more particularly, to a controller for controlling data recording of a digital TV broadcast.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, video systems are being digitalized. For example, a system for recording image data and sound data in a digital VCR (video cassette recorder), a HDD (hard-disk drive), or a recording medium, such as a CD(compact disc)-RW (rewritable), or the like, is known.
Broadcasting systems, such as currently realized digital satellite TV broadcasts using a communication satellite (CS), digital satellite TV broadcasts using a broadcasting satellite (BS), and ground-wave digital TV broadcasts, and the like, are also being digitalized.
In such digital TV broadcasts, program data is transmitted after being compressed using a compression method, such as the MPEG(Moving Picture Experts Group)2 method or the like. Hence, when recording program data, it is possible to record the program data in a compressed state, so that many programs can be recorded in a recording apparatus, such as a HDD or the like in the above-described manner. Furthermore, since many programs of various types are transmitted as digital TV broadcasts, the number of programs recorded by a user increases, and program data relating to a plurality of programs of digital TV broadcasts may be recorded in a plurality of recording apparatuses.
However, in conventional program recording systems, when recording program data relating to a plurality of programs in a plurality of recording apparatuses, the user assigns a recording apparatus where program data is to be recorded, without clearly recognizing the state of the recording apparatus, such as the contents and the recording position of program data recorded in a recording medium, the recordable capacity of the recording medium, and the like.
Accordingly, a troublesome operation for searching for a recordable region may be required, and the recording region of the recording medium may not be efficiently used when recording program data.
In conventional program recording systems in which program data relating to a plurality of programs are recorded in a plurality of recording apparatuses, program data having various contents are recorded in each recording apparatus, and when a plurality of users share a system, program data recorded by respective users are mixed.
Accordingly, when reproducing program data, a troublesome operation for retrieving desired program data from among recorded program data may be required, and, for example, program data recorded by a user can be unintentionally reproduced or deleted by another user.